Year 10 student Livia was one of four chosen from Victoria to undertake work experience at Parliament. Kol HaKavod! Livia writes about her experience below:  

I have always been interested in civics and citizenship but never imagined I would have a front-row seat to history being made. I also never thought I would spend the last week of term doing work experience with the Sergeant-at-Arms office at the Parliament of Victoria but in five short days I was proven wrong on both accounts.

The story begins back in August last year when Ayal Nathan, the Learning Area Leader of Humanities, forwarded me the application form for work experience placement and suggested it might be a good opportunity for me. We were still in lockdown so I had plenty of time, and decided to complete the application, and after an interview was lucky enough to be chosen as the youngest of the four students accepted this year.

To be honest, I was expecting my first work experience to have consisted of getting coffees and stapling paper but I was sorely mistaken. On arrival, I was welcomed with open arms and a full schedule that was designed to allow me to experience every aspect of Parliament’s operation and meet the incredible people that support this important work.

I had been lucky enough to visit Parliament before but never really appreciated the work that goes on each day and that every step through the bluestone corridors is like walking through history while building the future.

This was certainly the case when the First Nations Assembly arrived a few days into my visit to participate in the passing of the landmark legislation to advance a treaty between the State of Victoria and its First Nations peoples. It was an incredible moment to see firsthand and while there was a lot to do behind the scenes, it was a privilege to be able to share in the smoking ceremony on the steps of Parliament and then hear from those who had championed legislation.

As a great-grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, I was also particularly proud to be present when the Parliament passed the legislation to ban the display of the Nazi symbols in Victoria. As the Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said in the statement (I handed out to reporters) “The Nazi symbol glorifies one of the most hateful ideologies in history – its public display does nothing but cause further pain and division.”

Beyond these amazing legislative experiences, the highlight of my week in Parliament was undoubtedly the people who gave so generously of their time to help me understand how government works. From Brenda and the team in the Sergeant-at-Arms office to the people in the Print Room and the amazing Hansard team, everyone was so welcoming.

To acknowledge those behind the scenes, I also want to express my gratitude to the various members of Parliament who also spend time with me during my week including my local member and deputy leader of the opposition David Southwick, and Nazih Elasmar, the President of the Legislative Council.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought that I would have the opportunity to have a work experience like this. I was truly humbled to have met so many amazing people and so incredibly grateful for the way that they generously gave their time to explain things, create schedules, show me around or ask me about my ideas and opinions on things that really matter!